Downfall
by Blossom286
Summary: S/V...and that's all I'm saying!
1. Dreams and Daylight

Sunlight streamed in the windows, bringing to light the dark shadows that had covered the room. The morning was perfectly still as if time had stopped upon this moment. Carefully picked out clothing now lay strewn across the white carpet where they had landed when urgent fingers flung them in the midst of passion and need.  
  
The soft yellow rays of light danced across Sydney's face and tickled her nose. In sleep the corners of her mouth turned upward in a contented smile. As morning spread across the California sky her eyes fluttered open.  
  
A warm muscular arm held her safe and close against a firm chest. She sighed happily and nestled in even closer against his body.  
  
She felt a light grazing of lips as he kissed her hair. She rolled over until they were nose to nose. His eyes were heavy with sleep, but the same euphoric grin spread across his face.  
  
"Good morning," she whispered.  
  
He kissed her forehead in response, moving down to the tip of her nose and then her mouth.  
  
"Mmmmmm..." she purred in delight.  
  
She buried her head in his chest, smelling the wonderful fragrance of him. He had a small strawberry colored birthmark on his shoulder, and she decided to kiss it. She wanted to explore every inch of him and call him her own, to memorize every landmark.  
  
She ran her hands over his tanned skin stretched tightly across his ribs and defined muscles. As she did, he drank in the sight of her in wonder, becoming intoxicated by her presence once more.  
  
He ran his hand through the long dark hair fanned out on the pillow. It smelled like flowers and spring and felt like gently spun silk. When he finished with her hair he moved his hand to her face, his broad palm resting against her cheek. She raised her hand and placed it over his.  
  
"I want to listen to your heart," she whispered.  
  
He did not question her as she rolled over and pressed her body to his.  
  
Once more he wrapped his arm around her waist.  
  
She closed her eyes and let the steady beat of his heart and his protective embrace soothe her.  
  
"Please, don't ever let this end," she whispered.  
  
Vaughn hugged her tighter. Even in her joy there was fear. He knew the feeling well. It tainted every touch, every whisper, every scream. All night he had held her, as if in doing so he would insure that when he awakened she would still be there. Neither of them had known that living a dream brought with it the fear of awakening.  
  
"Can we make the world stop?" she asked, her voice small and soft. "I just want this moment to last forever."  
  
He pushed the hair from her neck and kissed her soft skin.  
  
"I don't want it to Syd. I want to have the pleasure of waking up every morning and knowing that this is real. I want to wake up in the middle of the night and find you here beside me."  
  
"Promise it can always be like this?"  
  
"I promise." He sealed his promise by rolling her over and kissing her gently, but full of passion.  
  
"You know, we never ate dinner," she teased.  
  
"Hungry?"  
  
"Not for breakfast."  
  
Their lips met again.  
  
"How about breakfast in bed?"  
  
"Nice, but I think I like breakfast on bed better."  
  
He laughed as she punctuated her words with playful kisses.  
  
"I'll go fix you a real French breakfast, and then we can spend the rest of the day in bed," he said suggestively.  
  
"There's an offer I can't refuse."  
  
She yanked the covers off him and kissed him once more.  
  
"Go."  
  
She laughed and gave him a nice smack on the butt as he climbed from the bed.  
  
He turned swiftly as he zipped his pants.  
  
"Watch it Bristow."  
  
"Oh I will. I'll watch it all the way out to the kitchen."  
  
He picked up a pillow and swatted her face before strutting to the kitchen, Sydney laughing the whole time.  
  
She stayed in the bed a while longer, listening to him cook. She laughed as he began to whistle. That was one sound she never thought she'd be hearing.  
  
She pulled herself from beneath the covers and pulled on his t-shirt, inhaling deeply. It smelled like him.  
  
Quietly she snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder.  
  
He stopped what he was doing and took her hands, swaying slightly.  
  
"You're going to make me forget what I'm doing."  
  
"That's what I was going for."  
  
She stepped back, pulling him with her.  
  
"Come on, let's go back to bed."  
  
"Let me just turn of the burner..."  
  
"I'll wait for you."  
  
He turned off the stove and put the batter in the fridge. When he got back to the bedroom she was already beneath the sheets. He crawled in beside her and they gently made love.  
  
  
  
  
  
REVIEW POR FAVOR! 


	2. Playing Hooky

His stomach growled so loudly he was afraid it would shake the whole bed and awaken Sydney. After making love she had fallen into much needed sleep. She hadn't said as much, but he suspected she had not slept a lot in the last week. Hungry as he was, all he wanted to do was lay there and watch her sleep. This was a privilege he'd had only one other time, but this was different. That time her dreams had been haunted with fears and worry. Now she was just Sydney. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her. Her chestnut hair lay tousled across the pillow with several tendrils falling over her face. She looked so peaceful and content as though she had never known troubles. Her face was relaxed and completely devoid of the usual lines of worry. She looked years younger.  
  
His kissed her forhead softly so as not to wake her before attempting to disentangle himself from the sheets and her hand without making too much noise. He wanted to stay, but they had to eat. Somehow he knew if he was beside her when she woke again they would never make it out of bed.  
  
Oddly he found himself incredibly comfortable in her house. Maybe it was because he knew her so well. He almost instinctively knew where she kept everything. He could see himself waking up like this every morning, living out the rest of his life with this woman.  
  
He turned on the stove and retrieved the crepe batter from the fridge. It was well stocked and he also found some strawberries, which he sliced and placed in a bowl.  
  
The clock on the wall indicated it was nearly 11. For the first time since he'd come to Sydney's he thought about work. No doubt everyonce was trying to get a hold of them and was filled with suspicion. After all, it was fairly obvious what they felt for each other. Now they both didn't show up for work. Weiss was going to give him s*** about this. He looked over at the answering machine. It was flashing 6 messages.  
  
He got his cell phone, still in the pocket of his pants. It too showed several missed calls.  
  
The only logical choice was to call Weiss, much as he didn't want to. Weiss would be able to cover for him, though he really didn't want to hear what he had to say. Anyone else was going to chew him out.  
  
Reluctantly he dialed the numbers.  
  
"Weiss?" he spoke in hushed tones.  
  
"Where the hell are you??"  
  
"I need your help Weiss."  
  
"You got lucky didn't you?!"  
  
"Weiss...I mean it..."  
  
"You're at Sydney's!"  
  
"Will you shut up? I need you to cover for us!"  
  
"Not until I get some details!"  
  
"Weiss! Just come up with something, ok? They'll kill us!"  
  
Vaughn hung up the phone before Weiss had a chance to object further. He knew he was going to pay for this later, but it was worth it to be with Sydney.  
  
"Vaughn?" a soft voice sounded from the other room. He had to stamp away the pride that surged up in him at how lost she sounded without him there.  
  
"I'm in the kitchen."  
  
He heard her climb out of bed and rummage through the drawers. A few minutes later she was beside him in a tank top and sweat pants.  
  
"Good morning," he whispered with a grin. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"Ready for some breakfast?"  
  
"Mmmm...I'm starved."  
  
"Fully understandable. Go sit down." He swatted her butt as she turned and walked to the table. She turned and narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
"No! We're eating now Syd."  
  
She rolled her eyes and sat down.  
  
With a flourish he presented her breakfast.  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"Look good."  
  
She turned her eyes from the plate and looked up at him.  
  
"Looks amazing."  
  
He grinned and joined her. They chatted leisurely over breakfast. It was almost as though the CIA and SD-6 did not exist and they were just a normal couple that had been together forever.  
  
They cleared the plates after breakfast and Sydney sighed.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"We should probably going to straggle in to work eventually. This is going to be fun to explain."  
  
"We, Sydney Bristow, have the day off."  
  
Her eyes lit up at the prospect. It had been a very long time since she had played hooky at anything.  
  
"How did you manage that?"  
  
He just looked at her mysteriously.  
  
"I have my ways."  
  
"You know I haven't NOT had to work in...God I don't even know how long."  
  
"Today is ours Syd. What do you want to do?"  
  
Sydney thought for a moment.  
  
"I want to see where you live."  
  
"You want to see my house?"  
  
"Yeah, you've seen mine!"  
  
"Well mainly just the bedroom..."  
  
"Don't you want to show me the bedroom at your house?"  
  
Vaughn laughed good naturedly. "We're hopeless."  
  
Sydney went in for another kiss. "Just making up for lost time." 


	3. One Fine Day

A/N: I have them staying at Vaughn's house...b/c seriously, come on, he doesn't have roommates. Especially roommates that A.) are in love with him and B.) watch him having sex. I know for the show they just don't want another set, but come on. Give the bunnies some privacy!  
In a matter of days Sydney had practically moved in to his little house. Though she didn't say it aloud, she found the house to be the perfect size for a young couple. Not to mention the location was perfect. Not too far from her house and not far from work. He kept it tidy as she suspected, but the decor was sparse and decidedly masculine.  
  
The first morning they woke up late for work, they decided they needed to put into place backup for such emergencies. She had worn the same rumpled clothes from the day before and prayed that no one would notice. After that Sydney moved some of her work clothes into his closet and bought extra makeup and a toothbrush to keep in the bathroom. Of course in doing so, they almost completely eliminated her need to ever go home at all.  
  
Saturday morning came and Sydney was excited for some time away from work. She woke early and attempted to drag him from the bed.  
  
"Syd..." he moaned groggily. "It's Saturday."  
  
She laughed at his drowsy voice, further garbled by the pillow.  
  
"Come on back to bed Syd. Too early."  
  
She leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Immediately he bolted upright.  
  
"Ok. I'm up. I'm awake."  
  
She kissed him lightly.  
  
"I knew threatening you with no more sex would work."  
  
"You know men far too well."  
  
"Well one man at least."  
  
He blinked a few times and cleared the sleep from his eyes. She was standing before him, a silly grin on her face. And then he realized why.  
  
Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun with a few strands framing her face. She was already dressed for the day in light khaki pants and a pink tank top.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"Get dressed! We're going out!"  
  
They drove to the pier and wandered around hand in hand by the water, just chatting and looking out over the ocean. For once they were a normal couple. They pretended to be tourists and went to all of the places they'd never had time to go before. They had strangers snap their picture together in front of the beautiful sights and made funny faces at a photo booth.  
  
"Michael?"  
  
Vaughn smiled at the use of his first name."Yeah?"  
  
"Let's go shopping!"  
  
Sydney nearly dragged him into all the little art and decor shops.  
  
"For your house," she grinned.  
  
"What's wrong with my house?" he asked with fake indignance, knowing full well that she loved it there. He planned on asking her to move in when the timing was right.  
  
"You have a girlfriend now Michael," she said matter of factly, as though that explained everything.  
  
Sydney found several things they "had" to have, and he happily purchased them all. He loved the smile on her face and no price could compare to that.  
  
Walking from their last store Vaughn had an idea.  
  
"Now that you can wear something OTHER than black, how well stocked is your wardrobe?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"  
  
"That we find you some new clothes."  
  
"Ok. On one condition."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"You get some too."  
  
"What's wrong with my clothes?"  
  
"Nothing. But you have far more blue oxfords than any man should have."  
  
"What, you don't like them?" He knew for a fact she did, as she had confessed fighting the urge to jump him the whole day at work on Thursday when he wore one.  
  
"Too many buttons."  
  
"I'm hurt that you don't like my clothing."  
  
"You know I found those shirts incredibly sexy. It's just what's underneath is a lot MORE sexy, and I don't want to have to work so hard to get it!" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.  
  
"Well when you put it that way..."  
Thanks for reading! PLEASE review. Next chapter we'll actually get a PLOT. Scary. I know. 


	4. Follow You Down

Chapter 4 Follow You Down  
  
"Sydney, are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure Dad. And Dad, don't worry, it'll be fine," Sydney spoke in hushed tones as Michael stirred slightly in the bed.  
  
"Why are you whispering?"  
  
"I don't want to wake Francie."  
  
"Syd? A sleepy and confused Michael asked.  
  
Shit!  
  
"I gotta go. I'll talk to you later Dad."  
  
Sydney hung up the phone before her father even had time to question the voice in the background. She forced a smile and crawled back into bed, snuggling against Michael. She desperately needed to feel safe and comfortable as she only did when she was in his arms.  
  
"Was that your dad?"  
  
"Yeah," she whispered, hoping her voice didn't falter too much.  
  
She knew better than to try to hide something from him. He could sense there was something wrong by the way her body tensed against his and the way the breath held in her throat.  
  
"Syd, what's wrong?"  
  
"Mmm.?" She tried distracting him with a kiss.  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"Talking about my dad while we're in bed together isn't very sexy Agent Vaughn. Didn't they teach you anything at Langley?"  
  
"Well now you've corrupted a perfectly good Saturday morning," he rolled over, pretending disgust.  
  
"Good. It's time to get up anyway."  
  
Michael groaned and pulled the pillow over his face. Sydney grabbed his face and began pulling him up.  
  
"What happened to the Sydney that liked to stay in bed all day?"  
  
"That was just the beginning. I didn't know how disappointing you would be in bed," she teased.  
  
"That's not what you thought last night." He raised an eyebrow seductively, almost turning her to mush even though he was kidding around.  
  
"Well I didn't want to hurt Mikey's wittle..." she paused deliberately from her baby talk. "Ego."  
  
"That hurts!" He feigned anger and turned his face from hers.  
  
She playfully punched his arm. "I'm kidding baby. You know I think you're hot stuff."  
  
"Well just for that you're not getting anymore of THIS hot stuff."  
  
"You wouldn't!"  
  
He turned and ran his eyes over her body. "You're right. I wouldn't. But you were worried for a second." Suddenly he reached over and pulled her on top of him. He began to tickle her and she squealed. She tried to get away but he pulled her back. "Take it back!"  
  
"Never?"  
  
"Sure about that?"  
  
"Ok ok! I take it back!"  
  
"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you!"  
  
"You, Michael Vaughn, are a GOD."  
  
He released her. "Much better."  
  
"Now come on. Get up."  
  
He groaned again. "Why do you always win?"  
  
She leaned in and kissed him in response.  
  
"Right. I forgot. Fine, I'll get up."  
  
"I'll fix breakfast."  
  
Michael smiled as she bounded from the room, knowing what Sydney's idea of making breakfast was.  
  
THIS was happiness. This was what he had been waiting for. All of his problems melted away when she lay in his arms. Nothing could be better than waking up next to her, her features relaxed in sleep and her lips turned upwards in a slight smile of contentment. Sure, there were the nightmares. There were screams of terror in the night, not only screams of passion. Her terrified shrieks chilled his blood, but she always calmed when he spoke soothing words and held her close. It gave him a surge of pride that the amazing Sydney Bristow needed him for comfort and to chase away the demons in the night. It made him love her that much more for letting him into her world. The bad nights made the good nights that much more incredible.  
  
"Michael," she sang from the kitchen, breaking his thoughts.  
  
He pulled his shirt over his muscled chest, smoothed down his sandy hair, and went to join her.  
  
Two bowls of cereal sat on the table in the airy kitchen. He chuckled slightly.  
  
"What are you laughing at?"  
  
He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her hair. "Just that your idea of making breakfast is pouring Golden Grahams into a bowl."  
  
"You like Golden Grahams!" she protested.  
  
"Yes, they're wonderful. Especially the way you make them."  
  
She swatted the back of his head. "Eat before your gourmet breakfast gets soggy."  
  
He smiled and went to work on the cereal. Sydney had already picked up the newspaper and laid out the sports section for him, the front page for her. Already they were settling in and learning each other's habits, beginning a routine together. Everything fit perfectly into place.  
  
An outside observer would view the scene as a normal every day morning for a young couple. Silence over breakfast as they sat in companionship reading their paper. But as much as Sydney tried to carry on that charade, Michael knew something was different this morning. Sydney was an excellent actress, but he was also trained as a spy and had over the years learned her silent cues and slight nuances in behavior when she wasn't being fully honest.  
  
She was trying too hard to concentrate on the paper in front of her. She was eating slowly, and from her eyes he could tell that her mind was elsewhere. She covered it well with her playful antics this morning, but now he needed the truth. Unfortunately, Sydney was stubborn, and he knew he was going to have to catch a flaw in her mask before she would confess.  
  
He glanced over at the paper she was pretending to read.  
  
"Another fire downtown, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She was good. Didn't even flinch. Too bad everything on the front page was about politics.  
  
"Anyone hurt?"  
  
He watched her eyes suddenly focus on the print. And then he saw her react and understand what was going on. She folded the paper and put it aside but did not meet his gaze.  
  
"Syd, you know you can talk to me. You don't have to pretend everything's fine," he said gently, noting the pain in her eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
Sydney shook her head sadly. "No. No of course not. I'm sorry. I've just.I've been thinking, a lot, about my mom. Wondering.if this can ever work, you and me, knowing who she is."  
  
Immediately Vaughn rose and went to her side, gathering her in his arms.  
  
"Syd, your family is a part of who you are. But this isn't about your parents.or mine, or any combination of the two. It's about us. And about me.loving you. I love you. And that's what matters. Not something you had nothing to do with."  
  
Here eyes welled up with tears; tears of joy at his words of love and acceptance, as well as tears of pain at lying to him. She had only lied to him once before and she had now idea how painful betraying his trust would be.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
He held her for a few more minutes and then pulled back.  
  
"Let's put all this aside. Just for a weekend."  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
"Let's drive up the coast. I know this great little inn, right on the beach. It'll take us most of the day to drive up there but we can get there in time to watch the sunset. It's so beautiful. It'll just be you and me. No work, no CIA, no cares."  
  
If only he knew how untrue that was. But it sounded perfect, and Sydney couldn't think of a better way to spend her last weekend with Michael.  
  
"You're quite the romantic you know."  
  
"The Frenchman in me."  
  
"I'll drive home and pack my stuff."  
  
"Can you be ready in an hour?"  
  
She shot him a look.  
  
"Right. I'll pick you up in 30 minutes."  
At her apartment Sydney threw a few outfits in her suitcase.  
  
"Hey Syd."  
  
"Oh, hey Will!"  
  
"Not another trip?"  
  
"Just up the coast. Michael and I are going up to some little inn. We'll be back tomorrow evening."  
  
Will raised his eyebrows. "You two are getting serious!"  
  
Sydney thought about denying it, but it was true. She could hide a lot of things, but the way she felt about Michael Vaughn was not one of them.  
  
"Yeah. We are."  
  
"Well in that case, can I give you a word of advice?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Will walked to her closet and pulled out a dress. It was Sydney's favorite dress, a light linen sundress. She had only worn it a few times years ago when she was with Danny. Life had been so chaotic she rarely had the opportunity.  
  
"Will, we're just going to be in the car all day."  
  
"Come on Syd. Dress up for him. I know for a fact he'll enjoy it."  
  
Sydney thought for a moment. Usually she didn't try to impress Michael, she was so comfortable with him. He'd certainly seen her in every outfit imaginable. He even asked her on a date when she had that holy terror in France. That was love. But she loved the dress, and she had a pretty good idea he wouldn't mind it too much.  
  
"Ok."  
  
Not surprisingly Michael was right on time.  
  
"Always the boy scout," she teased as she opened the door.  
  
His mouth comically dropped open as he drank in the sight of her.  
  
"You like?"  
  
"I love."  
  
He pulled her into a kiss.  
  
"Michael." she laughed, trying to pull away. "Vaughn! Come on. We'll end up in bed again!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So I didn't get all dressed up just for you just to take it off again!"  
  
"One more for the road."  
  
He pulled her out on the front porch and closed the door.  
  
They drove for a while, content to sit in companionable silence, hand in hand, the radio setting the rhythm of the road. Inwardly both were in deep thought. One trying to phrase a question and gather the courage to ask it, the other trying desperately to justify hiding the truth.  
  
"Syd?"  
  
Sydney jumped at his voice.  
  
"What was that?" he asked.  
  
"Sorry. You scared me."  
  
"Thinking about something?"  
  
"Just you."  
  
He squeezed her hand. "Good. I was thinking of you too. And I was thinking.well I know the CIA wouldn't approve.but we could be discreet, I mean, we are spies."  
  
Sydney laughed happily. "You sound like Marshall!"  
  
His face flushed a furious red.  
  
"I'm sorry. Go ahead Flinkman."  
  
"You're ruining the moment here Syd."  
  
"Oh ok. I'm sorry. Go ahead Balls of Steel."  
  
"How the hell do you know about that?"  
  
"I have connections."  
  
"I'm going to kill him."  
  
"Aww.I think it's cute!"  
  
"Cute? CUTE??"  
  
"Hot cute. Now go on. What were you going to ask?"  
  
"Move in with me."  
  
"Wow. Weiss was right about balls of steel. Was that a question or a command?" she teased.  
  
"Depends. Which one turns you on?"  
  
"Hmmm..command. I like the tough ass routine."  
  
"So what do you say?"  
  
"What took you so long? I've been dropping hints for weeks."  
  
He picked up her hand and kissed it.  
  
"This is like a dream Syd. I'm scared I'll wake up, something will happen."  
  
"It won't," she said, even as she felt a pang of guilt.  
  
They spent the rest of the drive discussing plans for moving in together. Tomorrow they would start packing and move all her clothes over. They wouldn't say anything to anyone that didn't have to know. Sydney assured him she could handle her father.  
  
The sun was just beginning its descent across the sky as the pulled in next to the little inn. It sat facing the beach and was as quaint and picturesque as Sydney had imagined it.  
  
Just then the strains of a song began on the radio.  
  
"Follow You Down! Francie and I used to love this song."  
  
"The Gin Blossoms are great."  
  
"Dance with me."  
  
"What??"  
  
"On the beach! Come on!"  
  
They got out of the car and kicked their shoes off in the sand. Sydney lead him down to where the water broke upon the beach. The sea breeze whipped through her hair and dress and a gentle mist rained against their skin as their bodies met. The spun in the sand, their feet bare against the warm grains.  
  
"Anywhere you go." she sang softly. "I'll follow you down."  
  
"God you have no idea how true that is Syd."  
  
He pulled her down into the sand. "You're so beautiful," he breathed, blown away by love for her.  
  
"Anyplace but those I know by heart." she continued.  
  
He hummed along with her, punctuating each line of the song with sweet kisses.  
  
"I love you so much Michael."  
  
Her heart was ripping into a million pieces. She loved him so much it physically hurt and she could not bear keeping the truth from him any longer.  
  
She pulled him close and clung desperately to his broad shoulders. Immediately he knew the moisture on her face was not from the ocean mist.  
  
Instinctively he began to stroke her back, knotted with tension.  
  
"What's wrong honey?" the endearment rolled off his tongue. He was startled by her sudden sadness.  
  
"Michael." The firmness in her voice startled him even further. It was serious and grave. Yet there was a slight quaver. He pulled back slightly to examine her face. The expression was one he knew far too well. Her eyes were locked in steely resolved and her mouth pressed into a hard thin line. The lines of worry that had gradually disappeared over these weeks were back in full force. But this time, there was a hint of fear and a deeper sadness behind her determination.  
  
"Sydney.please, no. Don't say what I think you're about to."  
  
"Michael, I have to."  
  
Michael pulled back and tears stung his eyes.  
  
"Sydney, please. All that is over now. Let's move on!"  
  
"Vaughn I have to go. I have to end this."  
  
"Why?" he asked, sudden angry. "Why you? Why do you have to be the one to save the world? Why can't we just be happy?"  
  
"Because we can't be until he's gone. He'll always be a shadow in our lives until he's DEAD and I couldn't bear that," she said bitterly.  
  
"You knew all day didn't you? That's why your dad called this morning."  
  
He turned his head, unable and unwilling to look at her and see the pain on her face. He was too hurt.  
  
"Michael, I'm sorry. I just wanted it to be perfect. I, I wanted the time to be right."  
  
"You lied to me Syd! And of all things you made up an excuse about your MOTHER?"  
  
She sighed, exasperated. "You know I have to do this."  
  
"No," he said firmly. "No. You don't." He turned slowly. "I'm going to the room. I need a little time." 


	5. Must Be Brave, Must Be Strong

Chapter 5 Must Be Brave, Must Be Strong  
  
Sydney knocked lightly on the white wood paneled door of room 2. She had walked along the beach, letting the water soak her feet as she tried to find the words she needed to say.  
  
She knew he was mad at her, and he had every right to be. But she didn't want them to spend this weekend not speaking. Not when she was leaving Monday for Budapest.  
  
He didn't come to the door so she tried the handle. The door creaked open to reveal a cozy room painted a pale yellow and accented with white wicker décor and things of the sea. It would be perfect if he wasn't angry with her.  
  
She found him sitting on the window seat, gazing out over the moonlit water. The pain on his face broke her heart, but much of the anger had receded from his sculpted features.  
  
Silently she crawled in beside him, her body molding itself to his. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, loving the way her body fit perfectly into his, as if they were made for only each other.  
  
He pressed a long kiss to the top of her head.  
  
"I know you want to bring Sloane down," he began, his voice laden with grief. "But please Syd, I'm asking you, don't go."  
  
"Michael," she said gently. "This is our chance. We can eliminate him for good! We'll be completely free! Can you imagine? You and me. No strings. No more worries or work looming over us."  
  
He seemed not to hear her as he continued to gaze unseeing across the twilight landscape.  
  
"I was watching you walking on the beach. And I was just so amazed that you could love me. But Syd.I don't think I'm enough. You need more. I can't make you happy."  
  
He let the tears flow freely down his cheeks.  
  
"You can't really believe that."  
  
"Then why are you going?"  
  
Sydney took his hand in hers and looked solemnly into his gorgeous eyes. God she could get lost in their depth.  
  
"Michael, please, I need you to understand. I owe this to Danny. I've moved on and I'm ready for a new life with you, but until Sloane is goine, I won't have peace over Danny's death. It will be unresolved. I want to love you and not feel like I've betrayed him."  
  
He broke eye contact with her and once more shifted his gaze to the window. He knew in his heart that life together couldn't erase the pain of Danny's murder. She could learn to let go of him, but it was the guilt that haunted her nights. She still felt responsible. If she wasn't freed from her guilt, even a new start with him would be plagued by nightmares. But he was so terrified of losing her.  
  
He looked into her eyes for assurance of her love. He found it.  
  
"I know you need this."  
  
"I'll come home. I promise you that."  
  
"But Syd you can't make that promise! Who knows what could happen? He doesn't need you anymore and he won't hesitate to kill you."  
  
The word 'kill' tasted bitter in his mouth. He wanted water to wash it away but it stayed like bile and blood on his tongue.  
  
"I'll be careful. You know I will."  
  
"It's not that I doubt you Syd. I don't. Not at all. I'm afraid you're too dedicated. You won't let go to save yourself. I'm so scared you'll give up everything we have for Danny's memory."  
  
Tears formed in his eyes. He hated himself for his jealousy.  
  
She drew in closer to him and tightened her grip on his hand.  
  
"I told Lennox that I was lucky to know Danny as long as I did. And I was. I loved him. But I also can't imagine my life without you. And I don't want to. The truth is, I'm not just doing this for Danny. I'm doing it for us. So we can be together."  
  
Her words made sense. God their lives were so twisted. She loved him so much she would kill a man to avenge the memory of another so she could bring him all her heart.  
  
He looked into her deep brown eyes, searching for the truth there. Nothing was hidden from him. He could see that she meant it.  
  
"Ok."  
  
She smiled her winning smile and kissed him, wanting him to smile as well. And of course he couldn't resist when she looked so eager and playful.  
  
"I can't deny you anything," he laughed.  
  
"I know," she replied simply. "And as much as I want to pull you onto that bed, I'm starving!" She grabbed his face and kissed away the worry and the fear. "Let's go get something to eat."  
  
He shook his head to clear his mind. "I think there's a seafood restaurant in town. Does that sound good?"  
  
"Sounds great."  
  
"Did you bring a sweater?" he asked, rubbing her bare shoulders.  
  
She laughed a little. "You're always going to find a reason to worry about me."  
  
"Well, old habits die hard."  
  
"I don't need a sweater. Then I'll have an excuse to wear your jacket."  
  
He laughed and took her hand.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
It was past dinner time, but there was still a small crowd at the little restaurant, a clear indication of the quality of the food.  
  
Over dinner it was like nothing had ever happened, though the strain in their eyes made it evident that they were trying hard to forget. They spoke of everything they would do over the next weeks, glossing over Sydney's mission.  
  
After dinner they walked back to the inn. Sydney was true to her word and asked for Michael's jacket, which he promptly gave over. She felt so warm and safe, as though nothing could ever go wrong.  
  
Michael began to hum the song they had danced to earlier.  
  
"Let's make that our song," she said softly.  
  
"Let's dance."  
  
And beneath the stars they whispered the words of the song as a promise.  
  
Anywhere you go. I'll follow you down. 


End file.
